As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARM EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER
Any person, firm or corporation who sells or leases and/or
installs automatic protection devices.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A service whereby trained employees in attendance at all
times receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic protection
devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and have the duty
to relay immediately by live voice any such emergency message over
a designated or direct trunk line to the communications center of
the Police Department or Fire Department.
AUDIBLE ALARM
Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the
interior or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible
outside the building and is designed to attract attention when activated
by a criminal act or other emergency requiring police to respond.
AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE
An electrically operated instrument composed of sensory apparatus
and related hardware which automatically transmits a prerecorded voice
alarm over regular telephone line, by direct or indirect connection
to the Police Department or Fire Department, upon receipt of a stimulus
from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical force or condition
inherently characteristic of a fire or intrusion.
CENTRAL STATION PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
A protective system, or group of such systems, operated privately
for customers by a person, firm or corporation which maintains supervisors
and accepts recorded messages from automatic protection devices at
a central station having trained operators and guards in attendance
at all times who have the duty to take appropriate action upon receipt
of a signal or message, including the relaying of messages by designated
or direct trunk line to the communications center of the Police Department
or Fire Department.
CHIEF OF FIRE
The Chief of the City of Pleasantville's Fire Department.
CHIEF OF POLICE
The Chief of the City of Pleasantville's Police Department.
CITY
The City of Pleasantville, Atlantic County, New Jersey.
CITY CLERK
The City Clerk of the City of Pleasantville.
DESIGNATED TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the communications center of
the Police Department or Fire Department that is for the primary purpose
of handling emergency messages which originate from automatic protection
devices and are transmitted directly, or indirectly through an intermediary.
DIRECT TRUNK LINE
A nonlisted, directly connected telephone line leading from
an intermediary to the communications center of the Police Department
or Fire Department that is for the primary purpose of handling emergency
messages on a person-to-person basis.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any
audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given
the police or fire communications center to which police or firemen
respond and which is not the result of a burglary, fire, robbery or
similar emergency.
INTERMEDIARY
A central station protective system or an answering service
as herein defined.
KEY
To use a telephone line and equipment for transmitting a
message either directly or indirectly by an automatic protection device.
PERMIT
Written permission duly granted to an applicant by the city
upon payment of the required fee.
PRIMARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the communications center of
the Police Department or Fire Department that is for the purpose of
handling emergency calls on a person-to-person basis, which line is
identified by a specific listing among the white pages in the telephone
directory.
SECONDARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the communications center of
the Police Department or Fire Department that is for the purpose of
handling administrative and other calls on a person-to-person basis,
which line is identified by a specific listing among the white pages
in the telephone directory.
After the enactment of this article, owners
or lessees must equip audible alarms with a timing mechanism that
will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum period of 15 minutes.
Audible alarms without such a timing mechanism shall be unlawful in
the city and must be disconnected by the owner or lessee within 60
days from the effective date of this article.
Automatic protection devices installed in the
city that are keyed to designated trunk lines shall meet the following
requirements:
A. The type and content of recorded messages must be
intelligible and in a format approved prior to installation by the
Chief of Police or Chief of Fire as appropriate for the type of emergency.
B. No more than one call shall be made over a designated
trunk line to the Police Department or Fire Department as a result
of a single activation of the automatic protection device.
C. The time for transmitting each recorded message shall
not exceed 15 seconds.
D. Recorded messages may be repeated during one call,
but the interval between each recorded message shall be no less than
eight nor more than 12 seconds.
E. The sensory mechanism used in connection with an automatic
protective device must be adjusted to suppress false indications of
fire or intrusion so that the device will not be actuated by impulses
due to fleeting pressure changes in water pipes, short flashes of
light, the rattling or vibrating of doors and windows, vibrations
to the premises caused by the passing of vehicles or any other force
not related to genuine alarms.
F. All components comprising such a device must be maintained
by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum reliability
of operation.
When messages evidencing failure to comply with the operational requirements set forth in §
80-6 are received by the Fire Department or the Police Department and the Chief of the Department concerned concludes that the automatic protection device sending such messages should be disconnected in order to relieve the particular Department of the burden of responding to false alarms, he is authorized to demand that the owner or lessee of the device, or his representatives, disconnect the device until it is made to comply with the operational requirements. If disconnection of the defective device is not accomplished promptly and the Chief of the Department concerned determines that the malfunctioning device is repeatedly sending false alarms without any intermittent valid alarms, he may then take any steps necessary to disconnect the defective automatic protection device.
Alarm equipment suppliers must conform to the requirements contained in Chapter
119, Construction Codes, Uniform, as amended, as it pertains to permits, licenses, inspections and tests by the Building Department.
For the purpose of enforcing this article and
as a condition to installing and maintaining an automatic protection
device, the owner or lessee thereof shall execute a consent, in such
form as may be prescribed by the City Clerk, which will authorize
the Director of the Building Department, the Chief of Police and the
Chief of Fire to enter upon a lessee's or owner's premises within
the City of Pleasantville, at such reasonable times and upon reasonable
notice, to inspect the installation and operation of an automatic
protection device.
No person shall conduct any test or demonstration
of an automatic protection device without first obtaining permission
from the Police Department and Fire Department. Where the equipment
is keyed through an intermediary, no such permission is necessary
unless the alarm or signal is to be relayed to the Police Department
or Fire Department.
Alarm equipment suppliers, installers of audible
alarms and intermediaries shall furnish, at or prior to the time of
contracting and at their expense, a copy of this article to owners,
lessees or users of the equipment or services to be supplied.